


The Mourning After

by pearlietook



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Chapter 9, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 23:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20415799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearlietook/pseuds/pearlietook
Summary: Byleth finally allows herself to mourn the death of her father. Someone new decides to watch over her.[[Contains Spoilers for Chapter 9 and Flayn and Seteth's Paralogue]]





	The Mourning After

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing in ~6 years so constructive criticism is appreciated.  
10.23.19: updated to fix grammar and typoes

It rained for days after the incident at the abandoned chapel. Everyone in the monastery felt pain, feeling as if they had each been hit in the chest. However, no one felt anything close to what Byleth was feeling. She didn’t speak it or incredibly show on her face, but everyone could tell. At times where she would usually run across the grounds of the monastery, hurrying from place to place, she now walked at a slow pace. She didn’t hurry to make her meetings or classes. She wasn’t eager to reach the dining hall in time to share a meal with her students or colleagues.   
Other things she once did for fun became abandoned by her grief. Byleth no longer stopped to fish in the pond, no longer visited the greenhouse.   
She even attempted to avoid the friendly gatekeeper who always enjoyed speaking with her. As she made her way past him to visit the market, she kept her head down, hoping to pass by him without starting a conversation. However, as Byleth began to make her way down the steps, the sweet voice of the gatekeeper called out to her, “P-Professor…!”  
With a heavy inward sigh, Byleth stopped in her tracks. She didn’t turn fully towards him; she just shifted her head to the side so that he would know she was listening.  
The gatekeeper paused before continuing, “... Thank you for all you have done for us…. Nothing to report today.” His voice cracked as he finished his sentiment, feeling tears prick at his eyes. Hearing the normally joyful man cry caused Byleth to turn. She met eyes with him for a moment before she took off, abandoning whatever obligation she had at the marketplace. 

Byleth ran, feeling hot tears in her eyes that she couldn’t hide anymore. She darted past a few of her students, each whom called out to her in their own respective ways. But their words were only met with the back of her cloak, running towards the reception hall staircase.

Byleth rushed past more students on her way up the stairs. Hanneman had even attempted to stop and ask her a question but to no avail. Byleth ran into Captain’s Quarters her father once inhabited. Upon entry she slammed the door closed and threw her back against it, covering her face. Her knees buckled slightly as her sobbing flourished. Her cries were so heavy that she began to find it hard to breathe. She pushed herself off the door and walked over to one of the sofas that were there. Her legs were wobbly as she stumbled onto the furniture, but her breath hitched at what she saw. One of his rusty orange cloaks was lying across the back of the sofa as if waiting for her to find it. She grabbed the article of clothing, her grief momentarily broken by disbelief. Byleth pulled it close to her, burying her face in the fabric.   
It… did not smell like roses, but the scent was all Byleth could ask for at the moment. It smelled like her father. Holding it in her arms spurred her to imagine hugging him for the very last time. Maybe even… the very first time. She couldn’t recall the two of them ever sharing an embrace.   
Byleth collapsed back onto the couch, her sorrow creeping up again. She cried and held this stinky cloak close to her, rubbing the fur of the hood against her face.   
She cried out for the father she barely knew but longed for greatly. She regretted not asking him more. She regretted not spending what time she could with him. Had she known this day would come, every free moment she’d had the past months would be spent in these very quarters with him. Or even not at the monastery at all. Maybe if they hadn’t come here, he would still be alive. 

Byleth’s thoughts became less cohesive by the moment as she laid down, continuing to hold her father’s clothing close to her. Her eyelids grew heavy and her voice hoarse as she began to feel as though she had no more tears left in her. Byleth closed her eyes, curling up like a child, gripping the cloak as if it was a blanket, and found herself being overtaken by the darkness of sleep.

\- - - - - - - - -

Seteth had tried to stay out of his office as long as he could that day. He didn’t want to face the piles of paperwork that was waiting for him. He managed to hide away in the room off of the audience chamber, alone with his thoughts and avoiding most of his responsibility. However, with the five-note chime of the cathedral bells, he knew the day was coming to an end. The sun was setting and the halls of the second floor were slowly growing dim. The area was empty and quiet, save for the sound of his footsteps. He walked down the hallway and towards his office.  
Before Seteth could turn towards his door, he noticed something off. The door to the Captain’s Quarters had been left open this morning in order for Captain Jeralt’s belongings to be retrieved. However, at present, the doors were shut. His green brows furrowed together as he took a few steps towards the door, pressing his ear to it. Nothing. He reached for the handle to give it a turn. Locked. Seteth frowned deeply, turning to go retrieve the key from his own office. Under his breath, he grumbled something about Alois probably locking and shutting the door by accident, despite Seteth’s orders for the room to remain open.  
After fetching the key, Seteth returned and unlocked the door, gently swinging it open. That would have been the end of it had he not caught the eye of someone occupying the room. His brows furrowed yet again at the sight of a mess of dark blue hair. He took a few steps into the room before realizing the new professor was lying asleep on the sofa.   
“Professor..?” He said, calmly, though his voice did not cause her to stir. He moved to stand in front of the sofa, looking down at the sleeping woman. She was clinging tightly to a familiar garment. Something that belonged to the late captain, Byleth’s father. Seteth sighed deeply in confliction, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to wake her and ask her to leave the quarters of her dead father, but she wasn’t going to be allowed to stay here forever. He slowly kneeled down, thankful that the crack of his knees also didn’t wake the young woman.   
Seteth watched her a few more moments. It was clear that she had been crying, both by the redness of her eyes and nose and by the sheen of dried tears on her cheeks. Without thinking about it, Seteth removed his handkerchief from his pocket and used it to lightly wipe the woman’s face. His movements were slow and gentle, not enough to wake her as she slept. Seteth shifted the cloth to his non-dominant hand, now using his free hand to brush away some of the hair stuck to her face by dried tears. Byleth shifted, her brows moving ever so slightly, causing Seteth to pause. Her eyes never opened though, and she continued to rest. 

With a small sigh of relief, Seteth moved again, successfully clearing Byleth’s face. He lingered a small moment before pulling his hand away. His eyes stayed on her though, grazing over her facial features. He could definitely spot Jeralt in them. Though he could very clearly see her mother… and also Lady Rhea.   
“You idiot captain…” he mumbled softly, allowing himself to reach over and touch her face gently, “How could you leave her alone like this…” Seteth brushed his thumb softly over her cheek, causing the sleeping Byleth to stir just slightly. Seteth pulled his hand away, making a soft ‘ssh’ sound as he stood. He lightly grabbed the Captain’s cloak and moved it so it was covering Byleth completely. “You rest now….” He was sure that his words were not reaching her conscience. She appeared to still be in a deep sleep as he tucked her in her father’s garment. He even took the extra step to remove her boots, knowing very well that they would cause discomfort in the morning. Seteth set them aside and made sure to cover her feet with the bottom of the cloak. 

When all was situated, Seteth looked down at her, eyes lingering for just a little while longer. He sighed softly and made his way to the door, not wanting to stay looking at a sleeping woman too much longer. He glanced back just a moment before exiting, closing the door halfway.

Seteth made his way, not to his own quarters, but to the room his daughter would be sleeping. Even though he tried to come in as quietly as possible, Flayn stirred, her hands moving to rub her eyes. “Father…?” she asked, sleepiness in her voice, “Is… something the matter?”  
Seteth smiled gently, shaking his head,“No, not at all. Go back to sleep, okay?”  
Flayn’s response was masked by a yawn as the girl laid back down, pulling her covers up over her. Seteth quietly removed his shoes and moved around to the opposite side of his daughter’s bed. He laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

He never wanted to leave her behind to mourn for him. He promised himself then and there that he would never leave her to fend for her own. The thought of her laying in his office and crying, gripping his garments was too much for him to take.


End file.
